Belisarius

Flavius Belisarius (Greek: Βελισάριος, c. 505 – 565) was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously. One of the defining features of Belisarius' career was his success despite varying levels of support from Justinian. His name is frequently given as one of the so-called "Last of the Romans". 2Early life and career Belisarius was probably born in Germane or Germania, a fortified town (some archaeological remains exist) on the site of present-day Sapareva Banya in south-west Bulgaria, in the borders of Thrace and Paeonia or in Germen a town in Thrace near Adrianople, nowadays in Greece. Born into an Illyrian or Thracian family of possible Gothic ancestry, he spoke Latin as a mother tongue and became a Roman soldier as a young man, serving as bodyguard of Emperor Justin I. He came to the attention of Justin and his nephew, Justinian, as a promising and innovative officer. He was given permission by the emperor to form a bodyguard regiment (bucellarii), of heavy cavalry, which he later expanded into a personal household regiment, 1,500 strong. Belisarius' bucellarii were the nucleus around which all the armies he would later command were organized. Armed with a lance, (possibly Hunnish style) composite bow, and broadsword, they were fully armoured to the standard of heavy cavalry of the da